


Consequences

by Nightwinging_it



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Overwatch Retribution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 04:25:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16509350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightwinging_it/pseuds/Nightwinging_it
Summary: The Blackwatch team's mission in Rialto was supposed to be simple. Get in, get Antonio, get out. But Gabriel's actions lead to a devastating consequence, and Gabriel must live with all the blood on his hands.





	Consequences

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a little, so I decided to finally write it! This is my first Overwatch fic (and first fic writing in a long time), so hopefully it's not too bad!

                How had things gone so wrong?

                It should’ve been simple. It almost was.

                Get in. Get Antonio. Get out. They’d been right there, Antonio unprotected in front of them. All they had to do was take him.

                Gabriel felt the weight of his gun in his hand, and dropped it to the ground. He’d caused this.

                _“This is your fault commander! We had a plan! We could've walked Antonio right out of the city! I didn't sign up for this!”_

That’s what Jesse had said, his words ringing in Gabe’s ears. Gabe tried to grab at the wall to pull himself up, but his hands were so slick with blood that he couldn’t get a grip.

                “Shit,” he hissed.

                “Boss?” Jesse’s voice was weak, pained.

                “Hang in there, McCree. You’re going to be fine,” Gabriel said, putting his hands back over Jesse’s worst wound to try to slow the blood loss.

                Things had gone so wrong. Gabriel looked around desperately for Moira.

                But she was across the area from them, trying to fend off the hordes of Talon agents pouring in. They seemed endless, their gunfire echoing around, their bodies littering the ground, their surviving forces relentless.

                Genji was nearby, trying to keep the agents away from Gabriel and Jesse. Gabe knew he should help his team, but if he left Jesse, the man would surely bleed to death. He couldn’t risk it. Wouldn’t risk it.

                _“This is your fault commander!”_

Gabe shifted Jesse so that he was lying down, his head elevated in Gabe’s lap. Jesse groaned at the movement, his body trembling from the pain. He’d been caught off guard, in the middle of reloading his gun when they snuck up on him.

                “Come on McCree,” Gabe muttered, pressing his hands harder against the wound, blood seeping between his fingers. “Hey, we need that evac immediately. We have a man down.”

                The pilot’s voice crackled, static accompanying her words. “I’m working on it, Reyes. You’re going to have to hold out a little longer. I wasn’t expecting this much trouble.”

                None of them had been. Gabe’s decision to pull the trigger had set this battle in motion, and now Jesse was paying the price.

                Gabe cursed under his breath. He needed Moira, but he couldn’t leave Jesse to go help her fight her way over here. She was trying to get to them, but the area was so crowded with Talon agents firing away that he knew it would be difficult.

                A Talon agent slipped past Genji, gun trained on Gabriel. Gabe lifted his own gun and blasted the agent once, twice, three times. He’d take no chances, not with Jesse’s life in his hands. He watched the body crumple to the ground, and dropped his gun to put pressure back on Jesse’s wound.

                “Jesse, open your eyes,” Gabriel commanded. “That’s an order.”

                Jesse’s eyelids only opened halfway. He tried to move his arms, but winced at the pain. He’d been caught in the shoulder by a stray bullt.

                “Don’t move. Just stay awake,” Gabriel said.

                Jesse, stubborn as always, tried to sit up, and ended up twitching in pain against Gabriel. Gabriel used his arms to pin Jesse to the ground.

                “Are you trying to die?” Gabe said, glaring at him. “Stop moving, Jesse. I’ve got you. You’re going to be fine. Moira is on her way.”

                “Comforting,” Jesse mumbled, too weak for the sarcasm to carry through. His head lolled to the side. His body twitched again and he fought to keep his eyes open. “Reyes?”

                “I’m right here,” Gabriel assured.

                Jesse had lost his hat when he’d been injured. There was blood drying in his hair, his clothes torn from the battle. He looked young and battered. Far too young to be dying here, like this.

                Gabriel wanted to apologize; this was his fault, after all. But apologizing now would only sound like parting words.

                “We pull through this, drinks are on me next time,” Gabriel said. He needed to keep talking. He needed to keep Jesse awake until Moira could stabilize him. If she could.

                “We survive this, drinks are on you every time,” Jesse said. It was a painful chore for him to speak, but he forced the words out. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want Reyes to know how scared he was that this was really the end of Jesse McCree. Everything hurt so much. He was so cold.

                “We can negotiate on that,” Gabriel said. “The only funeral is going to be mine when Jack and Doctor Ziegler kill me, got it, McCree?”

                Jesse struggled to turn his head so he could look up at Reyes. Jesse didn’t agree with his commander’s decision, but even now, he trusted Reyes.

                His vision blurred as he watched Reyes lift his gun and shoot at something approaching them. There was a fierce determination on Reyes’s face, his grip on Jesse tightening. If Jesse did die, he knew it would be from his wounds. Reyes wouldn’t let anyone else get a hit on him now.

                “McCree?” Alarm hit Gabriel as he watched Jesse’s eyelids droop shut, his body going slack. “Jesse!” Gabe shook him a little, his hands soaked with Jesse’s blood. No. No, no. “Jesse, open your eyes! Jesse!” He scrambled to press his fingers to Jesse’s throat, finding only a weak pulse. He looked up to Genji. “Genji! Get Moira here, now!”

                Genji picked up his pace, slicing through enemies as he dashed to Moira to help her over. It was still a few painfully slow minutes before they reached Gabriel and Jesse.

                Moira dropped to her knees, her hands trembling with exhaustion as she misted Jesse’s body with biotic energy. Genji had taken off to defend his teammates.

                “The most I can do is keep him alive until we get him to a facility. He needs immediate medical care if you want him to survive,” she said.

                “Hey, we need out of here, now,” Gabriel snapped, his patience thinning. No one was supposed to die on this mission. They’d planned it so carefully.

                “I’m coming in for a landing. Clear the area for me,” the pilot said.

                “Go,” Moira said, shifting Jesse’s body to her own arms.

                Gabriel felt the world thicken and fall away simultaneously around him as he shadow stepped his way to the landing point. As soon as his body fully materialized, he swung his guns out and fired in a whirling fury, enemies dropping all around him. He was getting Jesse out of here, no matter what.

                He shot the remaining few enemies, looking over his shoulder. Genji and Moira were supporting Jesse between them as they approached, their ride descending down towards them.

                Gabriel took Jesse from them. He was responsible for Jesse, and he would see him to safety.

                They boarded their ride, and Moira bent over Jesse as Gabriel supported his unconscious body. He kept his fingers pressed to Jesse’s throat, feeling that weak pulse thrum against them. It was something. It meant Jesse was still alive, still had a chance.

                The ride felt too long, Moira trying to conserve her biotic energy while still sustaining Jesse’s life. Gabriel remained rigid and silent, his fingers never leaving Jesse’s throat.

                When they landed at long last, there was already a medical team waiting to take Jesse. They loaded Jesse onto a stretcher, calling out orders to each other as they took him away. Gabriel caught sight of Angela amongst them, attending to the worst of Jesse’s injuries as they disappeared out of sight.

                Gabriel pulled his hood over his head and slid down against the wall. He waved off medics who came to inspect him. He was fine; the blood wasn’t his.

                He wasn’t sure how long it was before feet appeared in his view. He looked up slowly at Angela.

                “Well?” He kept his voice neutral.

                “He’s not stable quite yet, but we stopped the bleeding,” she said. “I have to get back to him. I just wanted to let you know I expect him to make it, for the moment at least.”

                The relief didn’t outweigh his guilt. He didn’t speak.

                Anger spread across Angela’s face. “How could you let this happen, Gabriel?” She shook her head. “I don’t even have time to lecture you. I have to get back to McCree. Be thankful he’s still alive.”

                He watched her storm away from him. He was more thankful than she’d ever know.

                _“This is your fault commander!”_

Gabriel looked at the blood on his hands.

                This was all wrong. This was his fault. These were his consequences.

                He clenched his fists, blood dripping to the ground. He’d told Jack they’d need a lot more flags if they didn’t do something. He’d almost needed one for McCree.

                His expression darkened. He could harbor all the guilt this threw at him, but he could not regret his decision. Antonio was dead. McCree was alive. So much blood on Gabriel’s hands, none of it his own.

                He stood up and walked away to go wash the blood off. He had a lot to do, and no time to think about what could’ve happened. The reality was that Antonio was dead, and Jesse was alive. That was all that mattered.

                Even as guilt wrapped like a noose around his neck, Gabriel kept walking, his mind already on what would come next instead of what had just happened.


End file.
